Requesting the Division of Highways name the bridge located on the
West Virginia Turnpike at milepost 83.43, spanning Cabin Creek
and Kanawha County Route 79/3, as the "Mother Jones Labor
Heritage Bridge".

Whereas, Mary Harris Jones, renowned octogenarian and rabble
rousing labor organizer, known as "Mother Jones" or "Miners'
Angel", was active in the labor movement early in the 20th century
when the United States was changing dramatically from an agrarian
economy to an industrial economy; andWhereas, Mother Jones came to national attention during the
Paint Creek--Cabin Creek coal mine strike in West Virginia in 1912
when she was 82 years old; andWhereas, On September 21, 1912, Mother Jones led a march of
miners' wives and children through the streets of Charleston to
dramatize conditions under which the miners were working; and Whereas, The resulting furor from this march and her speeches
during this strike resulted in Mother Jones being arrested, tried
and convicted by a martial law court and subsequently imprisoned in
a boarding house in Pratt, West Virginia; andWhereas, Her imprisonment caused the United States Senate to order a commission to investigate conditions in the West Virginia
coalfields; andWhereas, Mother Jones was set free from prison by newly
elected West Virginia Governor Henry Drury Hatfield and continued
her nationwide crusade to encourage working people to join labor
unions. She made her last fiery public speech at her 100th birthday
party on May 1, 1930; and Whereas, It is fitting that the interstate bridge spanning
Cabin Creek and Route 79/3, known as Cabin Creek Road, in Kanawha
County be dedicated to this remarkable senior citizen who added to
the rich and colorful history of this state and created a legacy
for the labor movement nationwide; therefore, be itResolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:That the Legislature hereby requests the Division of Highways
name the bridge located on the West Virginia Turnpike at milepost
83.43, spanning Cabin Creek and Kanawha County Route 79/3, as the
"Mother Jones Labor Heritage Bridge"
; and, be itFurther Resolved, That the Division of Highways provide and
erect signs at either end of the bridge displaying the name "Mother
Jones Labor Heritage Bridge"; and, be itFurther Resolved, That the Clerk of the Senate is hereby
directed to forward a copy of this resolution to the Secretary of
the Department of Transportation.